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‘Dim Tim’ & Chick-lit Bagshawe go twit for tat over “slobbering” devotees of Thérèse

Tim Cheetham, a Labourite councillor in the legendary south Yorkshire town of Barnsley, has expressed his disdain for the enthusiasm his fellow countrymen and women have shown for the beloved Saint Thérèse of Liseux via the medium of Twitter: “With all those slobbering zealots kissing that glass case, I hope it has some mystical power to prevent swine flu.” As Catholic Herald editor Damian Thompson states, “That’s the authentic voice of 21st-century Labour.”

Louise Bagshaw, a “chick-lit” novelist, prospective Tory party candidate, and Woldingham old girl, wasted no time in responding. “Nice to describe faithful Catholics venerating a relic as slobbering zealots. Would you use such bigoted language about Muslims?”

Cheetham’s rather lame retort: “As the church has issued new guidlines [sic] about the conduct of ceremonies to protect against spreading disease, it needed saying.”

Bagshawe: “Labour’s anti-Catholicism is breathtaking sometimes.”

Damian Thompson continues:

Indeed it is. Tony Blair’s relationship with the Catholic Church disguised the ferocious secularism of New Labour, which under Gordon Brown has increasingly focused on Roman Catholicism as an object of ridicule. (The Catholic bishops are slow to wake up to this fact, but one of these days they will have to give up their sentimental attachment to a party that hates them.)

Another tweet from Cheetham: “It’s not Bigotry to highlight the lunacy of dark age mysticism in the modern world.” Really? OK, then let me put you on the spot, councillor.

You say: “I will decry any faith that denies my right to question it in whatever form I wish.” Well, Muslims in Barnsley do object to the slightest criticism of their Prophet (who lived during the dark ages, as it happens) with his child wives and message of violence. But you’re a brave man, it seems. So go on: speak fearlessly and with your trademark withering disdain about the zealots in your own town.

Dim Tim later tried to backtrack by blaming the medium of Twitter for his own idiotic remarks.

To my knowledge, Barnsley’s not a town short on Catholics. Let’s hope those “slobbering zealots” make it to the polling place the next time the council’s up for election.

Published at 11:01 am on Monday 28 September 2009. Categories: Church Great Britain Politics Tags: , , , .
Comments

Labour’s anti-catholicism surely does not extend to the West of Scotland, where the Catholic-dominated Labour Party is the Establishment and then some. In Glasgow and North Lanarkshire we have the only two Labour run Councils in Scotland and the majority of the Councillors are Roman Catholics. This is neither good nor bad, although Roman Catholics, including many of my relatives, form only 20% of the Scottish population,but it rings a little different from the article. If Mr Cheetham is representative of Labour, it’s not the Labour with which I’m familiar.

— iain rosebery 4 Oct 2009 6:32 pm

Ah, but I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the Labour councillors who are Catholics in Scotland are more Catholic in the sense of born & raised in the Scottish Catholic tribe, rather than in the sense of church-going, believing Catholics.

— Andrew Cusack 4 Oct 2009 7:44 pm
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